Matt Kanan named one of chemistry’s Talented 12

Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN) has recognized MATT KANAN, assistant professor of chemistry, as one of the most talented young chemists in the world. C&EN is a weekly magazine published by the American Chemical Society.

The magazine created its first-ever Talented 12 list, and recognized Kanan as one of the “path-paving young researchers and entrepreneurs who are using chemistry to solve global problems.”

The editors, speaking of The Kanan Lab’s members, explained: “Among other things, this impressive group is seeking ways to synthesize molecules in a more environmentally friendly way, developing methods to curb global warming by removing carbon dioxide from the air and investigating the biochemical underpinnings of diseases to help find a cure.”

The number 12 was selected because “the International Union of Pure & Applied Chemistry defines the mole—a fundamental unit of measure for chemists—with respect to the number of atoms in 12 g of carbon-12.”

The magazine’s editors credit Kanan with making “discoveries in three fields and counting: As a graduate student, he helped pioneer DNA-templated organic synthesis, a molecule-building technique that uses DNA strands to bring reactants together. As a postdoc, he discovered a game-changing catalyst for splitting water and generating hydrogen fuel. And now as a team leader, he’s finding ways of turning the greenhouse gas CO2 into useful materials.”

They add, “Kanan’s now trying to solve the problem of Earth’s dwindling fossil fuels by gaining expertise in CO2 recycling: ‘Our overall goal is to make it possible and viable to recycle carbon dioxide into commodity chemicals and fuels,’ he says. To achieve that objective, Kanan and his team are studying crystalline grain boundaries in solid catalysts, such as copper and gold, to optimize their ability to convert CO2 into ethanol.”

See the C&NE article about Kanan.